Flowers and Trees in Splendor, Jade and Stone in Wonder (Part 1)
Section 1: Famous Ancient Trees, Precious Species — A Rare Osmanthus Variety: Yunü Hong. Yunü Hong is a rare osmanthus variety bred by the Jishou Rare Forest and Fruit Tree Research Institute from numerous Xiangxi osmanthus varieties. It is a small tree with an elliptical to spherical crown. The leaves are oblong-elliptical, leathery, smooth, and flat, with entire margins or a few sparse serrations on the apical one-third.
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section One
Famous Ancient Trees, Fine Noble Groups
Rare Dan Gui Variety—Yunü Hong
Yunü Hong is a rare Dan Gui variety selected and bred by the Jishou Rare Forest and Fruit Tree Research Institute from among many Dan Gui varieties in Xiangxi. It is a small tree, with a crown elliptical to spherical. The leaves are long elliptical, leathery, smooth on the surface, and flat. The margins are entire or have a few sparse serrations on the apical one-third. There are 1-3 pairs of superimposed flower buds, each bud having more than seven flowers, blooming densely.
The Largest-Diameter Rare Tree Species Discovered in Zhangjiajie, Hunan — the Chinese Tulip Tree
Wuling Mountain in Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, is one of the natural distribution centers of the Chinese tulip tree (Liriodendron chinense), with relatively rich resources of wild stands and scattered ancient trees, especially abundant in Badagong Mountain in Sangzhi County. In Nanmuping Village, Bamaoxi Township, Sangzhi County, there is a Chinese tulip tree with a height of 28 meters, a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 160 centimeters, and a crown coverage of 64 square meters (originally 252 square meters, later broken by ice). Its trunk is straight and full, growing very vigorously, flowering and fruiting every year. Chinese and foreign foresters have visited this site for investigation many times and consider it the Chinese tulip tree with the largest DBH ever discovered in China.
The Largest-Diameter Bretschneidera sinensis Discovered in Xinning, Hunan — the Ziyun Mountain Bretschneidera
In the primitive secondary forest at Wuliting in the Ziyun Mountain State-owned Forest Farm, Xinning County, Hunan Province, there is a Bretschneidera sinensis tree with a height of 30 meters, a DBH of 126 centimeters, and a crown coverage of 168 square meters. At a trunk height of 1.8 meters, it splits into two main trunks, appearing from a distance like two trees. It has a graceful and varied form, flowering and fruiting every year, and is currently the one with the largest DBH discovered in Hunan. Bretschneidera sinensis belongs to a single family and single genus, native to China and Vietnam, and is a national first-class key protected plant. This species has racemes 20–40 centimeters long, pale red flowers, and orange-red seeds; both flowers and fruits are very beautiful, making it an excellent ornamental tree for landscaping.
The Largest Camptotheca Tree in Hunan — the Camptotheca in Taiping Township, Shimen
Beside a vegetable garden in Shima Group, Luojiaodang Village, Taiping Township, Shimen County, Hunan Province, there is a Camptotheca acuminata tree with a height of 30 meters and a DBH of 100 centimeters, the largest Camptotheca tree in Hunan Province. Camptotheca acuminata, also known as Hanlian, belongs to the Nyssaceae family. The tree is 150 years old and is a deciduous tree endemic to China, an excellent street and landscaping tree. The whole plant contains camptothecin, which has anti-cancer and leukemia-treating effects, and it is a national second-class key protected plant.
The Largest-Diameter Deciduous Manglietia in Hunan — the Deciduous Manglietia in Lujia Village, Yongshun
The deciduous Manglietia (Manglietia decidua) is endemic to China, distributed only in Yongshun County, Hunan, and Mingyue Mountain National Forest Park in Yichun City, Jiangxi. It is the only deciduous species in the genus Manglietia and is listed as a national first-class key protected plant. In Hunan, the deciduous Manglietia is distributed in Lujia Village of the Xiaoxi National Nature Reserve in Yongshun County and the adjacent Yunpan Village of Langxi Township, covering an area of 2,000 hectares, with more than 5,000 mature large trees and over 20,000 saplings with a DBH under 5 centimeters, ranking first in China in both distribution area and number of individuals. In Lujia Village, the largest deciduous Manglietia was found, with a height of 31 meters, a DBH of 70 centimeters, and a crown coverage
of 156 square meters.
The Oldest Extant Chinese Juniper Ancient Tree in Hunan — the Chinese Juniper at the Mausoleum of Emperor Shun
The Mausoleum of Emperor Shun is located at the foot of Shunyuan Peak in Jiuyi Mountain, Ningyuan County, Hunan Province. Since the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han dynasties, emperors of successive dynasties either set up altars to pay distant homage or sent officials to perform sacrifices on their behalf. According to textual research in Deng Yunxiao's "Record of Jiuyi Mountain" of the Ming Dynasty and Shun Shengzu's "Record of Jiuyi Mountain" of the Qing Dynasty, during the pre-Qin period when the Shun Mausoleum was first built, greening trees were planted on both sides in front of the mausoleum, including Castanopsis sclerophylla, osmanthus, Chinese fir, and Chinese juniper. By the Tang Dynasty, they had become towering ancient trees described as "towering over a thousand-ren peak," "standing erect in frost and snow," and "with branches intertwined in emerald green, guarding the sacred palace." Through the vicissitudes of history, only one ancient tree has survived to this day — a Chinese juniper. The tree is 17 meters tall, with a DBH of 156 centimeters and a crown coverage of 210 square meters. At a trunk height of 5 meters, it splits into six major lateral branches. It has guarded the Shun Mausoleum for more than 2,500 years and is the Chinese juniper ancient tree with the earliest planting, the greatest age, and the largest DBH extant in Hunan.
A Rare Ancient Twin-Trunk Landscape Tree in China — the Red Army Tree in Jiangyong
The Red Army Tree in Jiangyong is located on the campus of Jiangyong County No. 1 Middle School in Hunan Province. It consists of two ancient landscape trees with fused roots and trunks — one is Celtis vandervoetiana and the other is Dalbergia balansae. Both are 12 meters tall, with DBHs of 80 centimeters and 52 centimeters respectively. The two trunks merge at the base, their branches and leaves interlace, and their crowns connect, covering an area of 400 square meters. Under the trees stands a 3-meter-high granite stele inscribed with: Red Army Tree Monument. On November 29, 1934, the main force of the Red 9th Army Corps entered Jiangyong County town from Jianghua County in two routes. A unit of the Red 9th Army Corps was stationed on the playground of the county's No. 1 Middle School. A Red Army soldier used a bayonet to carve two propaganda slogans on the main trunks of the two trees: "Long Live the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army" and "Defend the Home and Country, Join the Red Army." During the War of Resistance Against Japan, more than 4,000 passionate young people from the county went to the front lines, and the vast majority sacrificed their lives for the country. Since then, the people of Jiangyong have cherished these two ancient trees bearing Red Army slogans with extra care, honoring them as the "Red Army Tree."
A Commemorative Tree for an Ancient Peasant Uprising Leader in Hengyang — the Huang Chao Horse-Tethering Camphor
On Huangchaling Street in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, there is a camphor tree with a height of 27 meters, a DBH of 330 centimeters, and a crown coverage of 800 square meters, known locally as the "Huang Chao Horse-Tethering Camphor." Huang Chao was an outstanding leader of a peasant uprising army in the Tang Dynasty. In the sixth month of the second year of Qianfu (875 AD) during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang, Huang Chao rose in rebellion at Yuanju in Caozhou, Shandong. In the tenth month of the sixth year of Qianfu (879 AD), he captured Hengzhou (present-day Hengyang City) and stationed his troops by the Xiang River at Huangchaling. Huang Chao's tent was set up under this camphor tree, and his warhorse was often tethered to its trunk. During their time in Hengzhou, Huang Chao's rebel army "gave alms to the poor whenever they met them on the road," earning deep respect from the people.
Hunan's Only Precious Tree with Variable Leaf Colors — the Trident Maple in Xupu
The trident maple (Acer buergerianum), also known as the three-toothed maple, is a deciduous tree. However, this particular trident maple growing on a field ridge in Baoshu Group, Guihua Village, Shuangjing Township, Xupu County, Hunan Province, does not shed its leaves in winter. The tree is 500 years old, growing in a red soil area at an elevation of 160 meters, surrounded by rice paddies. It is 28 meters tall, with a DBH of 105 centimeters and a crown coverage of 180 square meters. In winter, its leaves change from green to pink, purple-red, or a mix of red and green, and then turn green again the following spring. It is said that this strange phenomenon of variable leaf color without falling has persisted for more than 300 years, and people praise this tree as a "precious tree."
An Ancient Michelia maudiae Tree in Hunan That Blooms Multiple Times a Year — the Michelia maudiae in Xupu
On a river valley slope at an elevation of 800 meters in Wanli Group, Yongsheng Village, Xupu County, Hunan Province, there is a Michelia maudiae tree. It is 700 years old, 15 meters tall, with a DBH of 200 centimeters and a crown coverage of 330 square meters. It has two trunks from one base — one growing obliquely and one growing horizontally for 11 meters — and the trunk bears huge burls. Michelia maudiae, also known as smooth-leaved white magnolia, normally blooms in April each year and its fruit ripens in October, but this tree blooms 3–4 times a year. According to reports, before 1950, this tree bloomed in mid-February of the lunar calendar each year, with a flowering period of about half a month. After 1950, it blooms 3–4 times a year, in mid-January, late March, mid-May, and mid-July. Among these, the flowers blooming in late March mostly bear fruit, while flowers blooming at other times rarely do. On the hillside beside the tree, there are also more than 20 small trees grown from its fallen seeds, each blooming once a year.
An Ancient Tree Growing on a Pagoda Top — the Privet Tree at Wenchang Pagoda
Beside the campus of Dongkou County No. 1 Middle School in Hunan Province stands the tallest ancient pagoda in the province, Wenchang Pagoda. Wenchang Pagoda is famous not because of its height or exquisite craftsmanship, but because a privet tree (Ligustrum lucidum) grows on its iron top — 6 meters tall, with a DBH of 18 centimeters and a crown spread of 36 square meters. The ancient pagoda rises tall with a lush green crown atop it, creating a magnificent sight. It is said that about 100 years ago, a bird ate privet seeds that fell into cracks in the iron top and sprouted. The privet's taproot penetrates through the thick iron top and brick crevices, its fibrous roots are exposed, and it relies entirely on rainwater seepage. That it has grown into such a large tree with luxuriant branches and leaves is truly astonishing and makes people stop and look up in wonder.
Hunan's Largest Tsuga longibracteata King — the Tsuga longibracteata in Suining
On Yuantou Mountain in Chiban Village, Huangshuang National Nature Reserve, Suining County, Hunan Province, there grows a mixed coniferous-broadleaf forest dominated by Tsuga longibracteata, covering an area of 8 hectares with 103 large Tsuga longibracteata trees. It is the forest area with the richest resources of large Tsuga longibracteata trees in Hunan Province. In this forest area, one Tsuga longibracteata is 32 meters tall, with a DBH of 110 centimeters and a crown coverage of 480 square meters. Its form is majestic and spectacular, making it the largest of its species in Hunan.
Hunan's Largest Bamboo-Leaf Phoebe King — the Bamboo-Leaf Phoebe King in Sangzhi
Western Hunan has been rich in Lauraceae Phoebe species since ancient times. Bamboo-leaf phoebe (Phoebe bambusifolia) with a DBH of 100 centimeters or an age of over 300 years accounts for 92% of the province's total existing bamboo-leaf phoebe. In Tanmuta Village, Liangshuikou Town, Sangzhi County, there is a bamboo-leaf phoebe planted by a villager's ancestors, a famous ancient landscape tree in Sangzhi County. It is 20 meters tall, with a DBH of 180 centimeters, a straight and full trunk, and a broad umbrella-shaped crown covering 728 square meters, making it the largest in the province.
Hunan's Largest Keteleeria calcarea King — the Keteleeria calcarea King in Daoxian
In Daoxian, Jiangyong, and other places in Hunan Province, relatively large areas and numbers of ancient Keteleeria calcarea trees are preserved. This Keteleeria calcarea group is distributed on the northeastern slope of Dupangling in Daoxian, on limestone terrain at an elevation of 600–650 meters, covering about 13 hectares. There are more than 800 large trees with an average DBH of 50 centimeters or an age of over 100 years. Among them, the largest one has a DBH of 131 centimeters, a height of 21 meters, a crown spread of 20×18 meters, and is 300 years old.
Hunan's Largest-Diameter Chinese Wingnut — the Number One Tree of the Three Xiang
By the Liushujiao River in Liushujiao Village, Jiaozhiya Town, Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, there is a Chinese wingnut (Pterocarya stenoptera) with a height of 25 meters, a DBH of 520 centimeters, and a crown coverage of 270 square meters. At a trunk height of 2 meters, it splits into two major trunks, with a swollen base. The hollow, rotted tree cavity can accommodate two large water buffaloes, so locals call it the "Buffalo Pen Tree," also known as the "Duck Shed Tree." The place name "Daliushujiao" (Big Willow Foot) derives from this tree. This Chinese wingnut is the ancient tree with the largest DBH in Hunan, honored as the "Number One Tree of the Three Xiang," and ranks first in DBH among ancient trees of the same species in China.
China's Number One Wisteria — the Ancient Wisteria in Gaoping, Yongshun
On a limestone outcrop in front of Nazan Village, Gaoping Township, Yongshun County, Hunan Province, there is a wisteria with a massive base, a DBH of 112 centimeters. At a vine height of 2 meters, it splits into five major vine branches with diameters of 56 centimeters, 47 centimeters, 42 centimeters, 35 centimeters, and 28 centimeters respectively, like five giant dragons coiling around the main trunk and lateral branches of an ancient Sophora tree. This Sophora tree is 32 meters tall, with a DBH of 136 centimeters and a crown spread of 20×18 meters. It is said that both the wisteria and the Sophora tree are wild and have a history of more than 800 years, still growing vigorously. The wisteria blooms in mid-April, with purple flowers like butterflies, pendulous racemes, and a pervasive delicate fragrance. Locals regard it as a sacred vine. According to records, the largest wisteria previously discovered in China had a DBH of only 40 centimeters (in Dongshan Town, Taihu, Jiangsu Province). The Yongshun wisteria ranks first in DBH, worthy of the title "China's Number One Wisteria."
Changsha's Oldest Six Dynasties Pine — the Podocarpus at Yuelu Mountain
According to the "Shanhua County Gazetteer" of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, Lushan Temple on Yuelu Mountain in Changsha was built in the fourth year of Taishi of the Western Jin Dynasty (268 AD), more than 1,700 years ago. The two Podocarpus macrophyllus trees in front of the Guanyin Pavilion in the rear hall were planted during the Six Dynasties (Northern and Southern Dynasties) period and had already become famous ancient landscape trees by the Tang Dynasty. In the early Qing Dynasty, visitors praised these two ancient Podocarpus trees: "Leaning beside the void, their canopy shadows surpass; gnarled and strange, their branches are many; towering to the sky, they have grown dense for a thousand feet; the world still remembers the Six Dynasties in their years." Thus they came to be called the "Six Dynasties Pines." During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, a storm uprooted the right one, and monks replanted a large tree. During the Guangxu reign, it was destroyed by ice and snow, and monks replanted again. In 1944, Japanese planes bombed Changsha, and Lushan Temple was destroyed, but the two Podocarpus trees survived. Both are male trees. The left one is 9 meters tall with a DBH of 90 centimeters; the replanted right one is 8.5 meters tall with a DBH of 40 centimeters. The largest one, at 1,500 years old, is the "elder" among the ancient trees of Yuelu Mountain.
Hunan's Largest Southern Magnolia — the Southern Magnolia in Gaotang, Changsha
The southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) is an evergreen tree with thick, large, glossy green leaves and large, pure white flowers. Native to the southeastern United States, it has been widely introduced and planted in southern China, becoming an excellent landscaping tree with strong adaptability and high ornamental value. In the Hu family home in Qunhua Group, Zhishan Village, Gaotang Township, Changsha County, Hunan Province, there is a southern magnolia introduced in the 15th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1836). It is 17 meters tall, with a DBH of 78 centimeters and a crown coverage of 196 square meters. Its trunk is straight and full, blooming nearly a thousand flowers each year. It is the earliest-introduced and largest-DBH southern magnolia in Hunan Province.
A New Variant Flowering Plant in Hunan — the Autumn Anemone of Tianmen Mountain
In mid-September 2006, at the top of Tianmen Mountain at an elevation of over 1,500 meters, a new variant flowering plant was discovered that rivals rare peonies in its gorgeous, colorful, and incomparably splendid appearance. It belongs to the same variant new species of "Anemone hupehensis" as the "autumn anemone" recorded in historical gazetteers. Compared with the new species of "autumn anemone" recorded in the "Flora of China": the flower diameter has increased from 2–3 centimeters to 5–6 centimeters; the sepals have increased from the recorded 20 to over 40; and the mature flower color is even more dazzlingly beautiful and intoxicating. It has extremely high value for commercial development: first, it can add a rare new gem to the flower industry of a tourism city; second, it can decorate and beautify scenic areas and expand visitors' points of interest; third, it can provide medicinal plant resources for the development of Chinese herbal medicine industrialization.
The World's Rare Relict Plant — the Dawn Redwood of Hunan
The dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is a rare relict plant in the world. As far back as the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era, dawn redwood-type plants had already appeared on Earth. After the Ice Age, such plants became almost entirely extinct. In the 1940s, Chinese botanists discovered surviving giant dawn redwood trees at Modaoxi on the border of Hubei and Sichuan, and subsequently found them in western Hunan as well. Three ancient dawn redwood trees in Longshan, Hunan Province, with heights of 46 meters, 44 meters, and 36 meters respectively, can be called the world's largest. Dawn redwoods also grow in Nanyue and other places.
A Rare Ornamental Flowering Tree in China — the Tsoongiodendron odorum in Hunan Provincial Botanical Garden
On October 21, 2008, two tall, straight rare trees in the Rare Plant Special Garden of the Hunan Provincial Forest Botanical Garden—Tsoongiodendron odorum—finally bloomed and bore large fruits. The fruits are shaped like chestnut burrs and grow at a height of about 12 meters. This was the first time this rare Tsoongiodendron odorum species had bloomed and fruited in Hunan. Tsoongiodendron odorum is an extremely rare tree that takes 12 years after planting to bloom; its flowers wither soon after blooming, and it is on the verge of extinction in China. These two rare trees were found 16 years ago in the deep mountains and old forests of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. To protect and propagate them, the provincial botanical garden will patiently collect the fruits and seeds of Tsoongiodendron odorum, dry them until they split open, and store them in sand in order to cultivate new plants.
The World's Largest Ancient Mulberry Tree—the Yanling Ancient Huasang Mulberry
In Zhongcun Township, Yanling County, there grows a mulberry tree that experts consider the largest known mulberry tree in the world. This mulberry tree grows on a mountain at an altitude of 1,100 meters in Daoren Village, Zhongcun Township. The tree has a trunk circumference of 3.3 meters, a height of 21 meters, and a crown diameter of 13.6 meters. Its bark is rough and dark brown, and its branches and leaves are luxuriant. The tree is 500 years old, and experts have confirmed it as a wild ancient Huasang mulberry. Experts say that the thickness of its trunk and its great age are rarely seen nationwide, making it a treasure trove for research on the utilization of wild mulberry varieties and a living specimen for scientific investigation. Within 20 meters of the large mulberry tree, there also grow 4 relatively old Huasang mulberry trees.